. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/FRA/95 
29 January 2009 
 (09-0407) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   French 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  FRANCE
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  
Ministère de l'écologie, de  l'énergie, du développement durable et de l'aménagement du 
territoire (Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development, and Town and Country 
Planning)  
Direction générale de la prévention des risques. Service de la prévention des nuisances et  de la qualité de l'environnement 
Département Produits chimiques, pollutions diffuses, agriculture 
Bureau des substances et préparations chimiques 20 avenue de Ségur - 75302 Paris 07 SP Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and e-mail and website 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Construction products 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Arrêté relatif aux 
conditions de mise sur le marché des produits de construction et de  décoration contenant 
des substances cancérigènes, mutagènes ou reprotoxiques de catégorie 1 ou 2  (Order 
concerning the criteria for the placing on the market of construction and decorative products that contain Category 1 or 2 carcinoge nic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substances) 
(2 pages). 
6. Description of content:   The notified text is a ministerial Order prohibiting the placing on 
the market of construction and decorative pr oducts that emit certain Category 1 or 2 
carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substa nces.  It provides that construction and 
decorative products may be placed on the market only if they emit less than µg/m3 of the following substance:  trichloroethylene.  
This limit is measured and calculated in  accordance with standard NF ISO 16000. G/TBT/N/FRA/95 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including  the nature of urgent problems where
applicable:   Generally speaking, the placing on the market, for consumer use, of Category 
1 and 2 substances and preparations classifi ed as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for 
reproduction (CMR) is prohibited.  Construc tion and decorative materials are generally 
considered as objects and are therefore excluded from this generic ban.  Nevertheless, the 
population spends more than 80 per cent of its time indoors and, more generally, in 
confined spaces, where high concentrations of  pollutants, in particular building-related 
volatile organic compounds, including CMR subs tances, may be present.  The ban on CMR 
substances in construction products  will help to ensure the protection of health and reduce 
the potential impact of these materials on indoor air quality.   
8. Relevant documents:  Council Directive 67/548/EEC on the classification, packaging and 
labelling of dangerous substances, Annex I;  Council Directive 89/106/EEC on construction products; 
 
Article L.521-6 of the Environment Code:  "Article L.251-6-II.  The following measures 
may be taken in respect of substances and preparations that pose unacceptable danger or 
risks to humans or the environment, and ma nufactured products or equipment containing 
such substances, under the conditions set forth in  Article L.521-1:  (1) Total, provisional or 
partial ban on production, importation, exporta tion, transportation, placing on the market, 
or certain uses;  (2) Measure to restrict or  regulate production, importation, exportation, 
placing on the market, certain uses, salvaging, re generation, recycling, disposal, storage, 
transportation, composition, labelling, packagi ng, trade names and advertising, as well as 
any other measure required to safeguard public health and the environment." 
9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force:  30 May 2009 30 June 2009 
10. Final date for comments:   1 May 2009 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and website addresses,  if available, of other body:  
Guillaume Bailly or Emilie Brisorgueil 
MEEDDAT/SPNQE/BSPC E-mail:  guillaume.bailly@developpement-durable.gouv.fr or emilie.brisorgueil@develo ppement-durable.gouv.fr 
 
National enquiry point: CINORTECH AFNOR 11, Avenue Francis de Pressensé 93571 - SAINT- DENIS – LA PLAINE Cédex 
and:  here